Latin America Green News is a selection of weekly news highlights about environmental and energy issues in Latin America.

April 27th-May 10th, 2014

Chile

President Bachelet, who will make public her administration’s energy agenda next Tuesday, is reviewing the draft of the plan that Minister of Energy Máximo Pacheco delivered this week. The Minister has stated that the agenda will not be critical review of the current situation, but will rather include clear areas to improve the status quo. According to Chilean media, the eight pillars of the agenda are: generation and LNG, territorial planning and zoning, improving transmission regulation, strategic environmental evaluation, energy efficiency, renewables, simplifying permitting processes, and compensation and water use policy. (La Tercera 5/9/2014)

Ex-Vice President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore salutes Mexico in its efforts to combat climate change. Gore stated that Mexico has taken the necessary first steps to incite a new renewable energy market in the country, and encouraged businesses to get on board with the environmental levy on tax reform approved in November 2013. Gore also cites the three major contributors to climate change: the disproportionate population growth, new technologies contributing to carbon emissions, and the continuing disbelief of some people about the existence of climate change. (Vanguardia 5/8/2014).

Mexican filmmaker and Oscar-winning director of “Gravity,” Alfonson Cuarón has proposed three televised debates on the new energy reform to President Enrique Peña Nieto. Cuarón has detailed ten questions that he would like answered in the debate, and states that a publicly accessible debate is essential, especially around the largest reform to hit Mexico is seven decades. The debate would feature experts from all arenas, economics, legal, technical, environmental and social, and would serve as a platform for open discussion on the environment and energy reform for the country. (América Economía 5/5/2014).

Nissan’s signature electric car, the LEAF, will be available for sale in Mexican markets this year. The Japanese company began its introduction to Mexico with the building of the first electric car charging station in a strip mall and in Latin America, and a contract for the first electric corridor between Mexico City and Cuernavaca, Morelos. With bourgeoning sales in both the United States and Norway, Nissan expects great success in Mexico, especially since many of Mexico’s cities are already engaging in transforming their taxi fleets to electric cars. The company hopes that with success in Mexico, they can then launch the LEAF in other Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina. (Vanguardia 5/5/2014).

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Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.